a love of reading is caught, not taught

Posts Tagged ‘WWII’

Here are some of my favourite books to look at war and peace with children.

Six men seek a somewhere to live in peace. When thy finally find such a place, they farm and begin to accumulate wealth. The more success they had, the more their fears grew until they had soldiers and armies. A great war begins with tragic results.

An wordless story about a peaceful frog that somehow degenerates into a full scale war. Great for launching discussions with kids.

Rose Blanche is a stunning book. Powerful read aloud.

Even though I cry every time I read this book aloud to kids, it is one of my most favourite tales. Based ont eh true story of a young woman who finds a group of children that she feeds, cares for and hides in a concentration camp during the Holocaust in WWII.

The true story of police horse Bunny who is sent to Europe during World War II. Bunny and the other war horses have many duties, including helping to deliver messages, transporting wounded soldiers, and carrying soldiers into battle.. Gorgeously illustrated.

To protect them, 15,000 children were sent from their homes in London to Canada and the USA. Told from a teddy bear’s point of view, the story begins as a ship containing the children arrives in Canada and the bear is gifted to a young boy named William. This story is also based on the true story.

Here are some beautiful and heart wrenching stories, several recommended by my colleague Annie Simard @annieteaches which I purchased for our library.

A whole town works together to help a family escape the Nazis in Denmark. Historical fiction.

The true story of Alter Weiner, holocaust survivor and a beautiful act of kindness.

Based on a true story, Mister Doctor is the story of dedicated Doctor Korczak, who cares for a large group of orphans as they move from orphanage to the Warsaw ghetto to the Treblinka extermination camp.

A beautifully illustrated story of a family who escapes France for England.